1. Technical Field
This invention relates to oil filters and, more particularly, to an oil filter draining funnel for discharging oil contained within an existing filter before the existing filter is removed from an existing engine.
2. Prior Art
It is not always easy to determine when, or if, major repair—or perhaps a complete overhaul—is required for an automobile or truck engine. High mileage is not necessarily an indication that engine work is needed, just as low mileage does not preclude the need for maintenance action. Frequency of servicing is the single most important consideration to prolong the life of an engine. An engine that has regular and frequent oil and filter changes, as well as other required maintenance, will most likely give thousands of miles of reliable service. Conversely, a neglected engine may require an overhaul very early in its life.
Most motorists realize the need to change the oil in a vehicle on a regular basis and either do it themselves or have the work performed by a service station or automotive service facility. The first step in this procedure is to remove the oil plug from the oil pan and allow all of the oil to drain into a container, the oil being safely disposed of later. The next step, the removal of the oil filter, is usually done with a strap wrench, a tool especially designed for this purpose. Some model cars are equipped with an oil filter that is enclosed within a metal housing which must be removed with standard wrenches. A problem encountered when removing the oil filter, whether using a strap wrench or a standard wrench, is that a fair amount of oil (about a quart) is still contained within the filter and most of this oil will leak out and onto the surrounding area before the filter is completely removed.
This, in addition to creating an unsightly mess, is ecologically damaging if the vehicle is parked on a natural surface—not concrete—and seeps into the ground. Having recognized the need for a device that would eliminate this problem, the present invention was developed. Based on the above mentioned needs, it would be advantageous to provide a means for draining and collecting used oil contained within the oil filter prior to removing the oil filter from the automotive vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,823 to Kilgore discloses a hand tool for draining vehicular oil filters. The tool separates into two assemblies: a Valve and Handle segment; and a Punch and Drain Tube segment. A User may obtain Punch and Drain Tubes of different lengths. The purpose of this segmentation is to allow a User to attach the Punch and Drain Tube with the most suitable length for each filter access problem. The Punch is placed against the lowest point of an installed oil filter. Using simple arm strength or a rubber mallet, the tool is driven through the sheetmetal housing and interior partition of the oil filter. Once the tool has penetrated the two sheetmetal surfaces, friction between the tool and the two sheetmetal surfaces holds the tool suspended from the oil filter. With the filter punctured, oil drains through the cavity of the tool to the low end where it is checked by a valve. A suitable container is situated beneath the handle end of the tool, and the valve is opened to allow oil from the oil filter to drain through the tool and into the container. By adjusting the depth of penetration, both chambers of an oil filter can be drained. After the oil has been drained, the tool is extracted. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed for draining a filter into an appropriate container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,951 to DeBano, Jr. discloses a device for draining an engine's oil filter before removal of the filter from the engine, in order to minimize oil spillage from the filter during its removal from the engine. This device includes a hollow shaft having a closed end and an open end, a piercing point attached to the shaft at the open end, a flexible polymeric boot attached to the shaft adjacent to and enshrouding the piercing point, and a polymeric covering enveloping the shaft between the closed end and the portion where the flexible polymeric boot is attached. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed for draining a filter into an appropriate container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,874 to Goodman discloses spillable oil from an oil filter and adjacent engine cavities of trapped engine oil being transferred outwardly through filter housing sidewalls at designated low points to a temporary boot container by gravity following a piercing operation through the filter housing. Oil transfer to the container is performed prior to breaking the seal between the engine block and the filter. All of the spillable oil is caught in the boot containment device which incorporates internal tack like hollow piercing elements. The required piercing force to drive the tacks into the filter wall may be applied to the exterior of the filter boot using common filter strap wrenches, or by light taps from a hammer, wrench or similar tool. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed for draining a filter into an appropriate container.
Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for discharging oil contained within an existing filter before the existing filter is removed from an existing engine. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.